Locking side slipping weft detector



March 3, 1936. o. v. PAYNE LOCKING SIDE SLIPPING WEFT DETECTOR FiledJune 10, 1955 I nvenkor Oscar V. Pay ne Patented Mar. 3, 1936 LOCKINGSIDE SLIPPING WEFT DETECTOR Application June 10, 1935, Serial No. 25,747

10 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in side slipping weft detectorsfor looms and it is the general object of the invention to provide meansfor locking the detector yieldingly in normal rearward position so thatit will not be affected by 100111 vibration.

In my co-pending application Serial No. 727,302 I have shown a weftdetector of the general type set forth hereinafter wherein I provide afeeler finger mounted on a carrier lever so operated that the lattermoves away from an electric contact when the detector finger movesforwardly on non-indicating detecting beats. The relation of the partsis such that when the detector slips sideways along an exhausted supplyof weft the carrier lever will be swung into engagement with the contactto close the latter and effect a change in loom operation.

In order to permit a detector of this type to be used with fine yarnsthe moving parts are made as light as possible and I have found thatcertain types of high speed looms set up a vibration in the detectorfinger because of its lightness tend ing to move the carrier lever intoengagement with the contact. It is an important object of my presentinvention to provide an addition to the detector finger to cooperatewith a part shown in the aforesaid application for holding the fingeragainst vibration during the non-detecting period.

It is another object of my present invention to form the yielding lockin such a way that the detector finger is unlocked to be free to sliplaterally by the first part of the forward stroke of the detector afterthe latter is engaged by the advancing surface to be detected. By suchan arrangement it is unnecessary to provide additional parts to effectthe unlocking, inasmuch as 15 form the detector finger so that it willcooperate with a lock or stop only when the detector is in its rearmostnormal detecting position.

It is a further object of my present invention to provide the detectorwith a surface eccentric with respect to the axis of the lever andlocate the locking notch at one end of the surface so that a stop pinmay cooperate with said surface to move the latter relatively to the pinuntil the notch reaches said pin. In this way I have been able to. use asingle spring which not only acts to return the detector finger and thelever to normal detecting position but also effective to hold thedetector yieldingly locked against vibration.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, my invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein a convenient embodiment of myinvention is set forth,

Fig. l is a plan view of a weft detector made according to my presentinvention showing the detector finger and carrier lever in two differentpositions,

Fig. 2 isa view similar to Fig. 1 but with the detector finger moved toindicating position,

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 33 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is a detailed plan of the detector finger detached.

Referring to the drawing, I have indicated a fixed detector support I 0which in the present instance may be made with a floor H and anupstanding cylindrical wall l2. A hearing l3 projects upwardly from thefloor and is provided with a bushing M which receives the depending stemI5 of a pivot stud IS. The latter is secured to a pair of lever platesI1 and I8 spaced vertically and forming a carrier lever designatedgenerally at 19. Each plate has a foot 20 extending to the right of thepivot as shown in Fig. 2 for engagement with a spring contact 2|grounded to the support by holding screws 22 and insulated fromv asecond contact 23 supported between insulators 24 held to a lug 25formed as an integral part of the support. A contact wire 26 is attachedto a 30 plate 21 in electrical connection with the spring contact 23 andwhen the two contacts are moved from. the open position shown in Fig. 1to the closed position in Fig. 2 an external circuit not shown herein isclosed to effect a change in loom operation.

The plates I1 and 18 have laterally extending. arms 30 supporting apivot screw or stud 3! passing through the plates and also through abearing 32 formed in the detector finger designated generally at 33.This finger may be formed of this fiat sheet material and has a crossbar 34 adapted for swinging movement about the stud 3| and betweenrearwardly extending arms 35 on the plates. A spacing brace pin 36 mayconnect the plates and serve also as a stop for the cross bar 34.

The detector finger has a rearwardly extending arm 31 carrying a weftengaging spring 38 forming the tip for the detector finger. The springmay be mounted as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and lies partly in a closedslot 39 extending laterally and preferably arcuately in the rear of thedetector finger. The spring has spaced coils and therefore can be turnedinto the slot 39 as though it were a hollow screw. I find that thespring is held by the solid structure at each end of the slot and has notendency to become displaced or dislodged.

The cross bar has a small lug 40 to receive the rearward thrust ofspring 4| the forward end of which is held by a similar lug 42 carriedby lever I9. The cross bar has a rear curved surface 45 which ispositioned for sliding engagement with a stop and positioning pin 46carried by and projecting upwardly from the support. The surface 45 iseccentric with respect to the stud I 6 with the center slightly to theleft of said stud, as will be seen from Figs. 1 and 2. While I havereferred to the surface 45 as having a center yet this is not necessaryso long as said surface approximates a curve having a center asmentioned. The essential feature of the curve is that expansion of thespring after a lateral movement of the detector will cause a cammingaction between the crossbar and the pin. 46 resulting in restoration ofthe detector and lever to their normal rear positions.

In the operation of the detector as thus far described the feeler.finger will normally be in the position shown in fulllines in Fig. 1with the foot 20 so positioned. asto permit a spacing of the contacts 2|and 23. If the advancing bobbin B or other surface to be detectedcarries sufficient weft for continued weaving the tip will moveforwardly without lateral motion to the. position indicated in dottedlines in Fig. 1, whereupon lever l9- will-. be swung to the dotted lineposition and the foot 20 will move away from contact 2!, therebydiminishing the likelihood of closing the contacts. When the advancingsurface to be detected carries insufficient weft for continued weavingthe. detector finger will slide along the bobbin to the position shownin Fig. 2, the effect of which is to rock lever L9 in a right handdirection around. stud l6 and cause. the foot 28 to move contact spring2| into engagement with contact 23, thereby closing the contacts toeffect change in loom operation as already said before.

The operation of the detector thus far. given may be the same as thatset forth in my co-pending application Serial No. 727,302 and theparticular formv of the. carrier lever employing top and bottomplatesbetween which the detector finger slides to permit the detector to beinverted may be as setforth in my later co-pending application SerialNo. 18,089.

The detector finger and carrier lever therefore may be made very lightto permit use with fine yarn and as already stated this fact may undercertain conditions cause vibration of the detector finger laterally orto the right as viewed in Fig. 1. My present invention aims to provide asimple means for preventing this vibration and in carrying my presentinvention into efiect I provide the cross bar 34 with a notch 50 locatedat the right end of the curved surface 45. near the juncture between thearm 31 and the cross bar 34. This notch may be formed in part by ashoulder at the left side thereof which is adapted for engagement withthe stop pin 46. The shoulder 5! is so disposed as to coact with thestop pin 46 and enable. the latter to resist movement of the detector ina right hand direction by any force acting generally to the right fromthe pivot 35 and because of this fact, the carrier lever 59 is held inlocked position with the foot incapable of moving the contact 2| towardthe contact 23. The right hand part of the notch is defined by theadjacent edge of the arm 31 and the latter coacts with the shoulder 5|and the stop pin to prevent vibration of the carrier lever in ahorizontal plane.

In operation the detector will normally be so positioned that the stoppin 46 will occupy the notch, being held there by the normal tendency ofspring 4| to expand. As the loom runs with the lay in rear position anytendency to vibrate will be arrested as already described and as the layadvances to present the weft surface to the feeler tip the finger 33will move forwardly upon initial engagement with the weft so that theshoulder will advance relatively to the fixed stop pin 46. If suflicientweft is present the finger will move forwardly without slipping and uponrearward motion of the lay the notch will approach and fit around thestop pin 46 by action of the spring 4|. When insufficient weft ispresent the detector slides laterally to indicate weft exhaustion, andthe notch will move to the right away from the pin 46. Upon backwardmovement of the lay the spring will expand and cause the curved surface45 to engage stop 46 to effect movement in a left hand direction on thepart of the detector and carrier lever, thereby causing the notch toapproach and finally be occupied by the. stop pin.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a very simple.form of lock for a side slipping weft detector effective to preventlateral movement of the detector when the same is. in normal rearmostposition. It will also be seen that the initial part of the forwardmotion of the detector finger serves to unlock the same so that it can.move laterally if required to give indication of weft exhaustion. Itwill further be seen that a single spring serves not only to return thedetector finger and its carrier lever to normal position butalsoreestablishes the locking relation. While I have shown one particularform of lock wherein av forward component of the detector finger motionis operative to effect unlocking, yet I do not wish necessarily to belimited to theexact form shown herein.

Having thus described my invention it will. be seen that changes andmodifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention and I do not wishto be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. In a side slipping weft detector for looms having a surface to bedetected, a normally fixed support,- alever pivoted to the support, adetector finger pivoted to the lever and extending rearwardly to bepositioned for engagement with the surface to be detected, said fingerbeing moved forwardly when in engagement with a sufficient supply ofweft and'slipping laterally along an insufficient supply of weft toeffect rocking of the lever, means to effect a change of loom operationwhen the lever is moved by side slipping movement of the finger, andmeans defining ayieldable lock to hold the detector finger againstvibration in a direction along the surface to be detected when saidfinger is in normal rear position, said detector finger moving the meansto unlock the detector finger during the initial part of the forwardmovement of the detector due to engagement with the surface to bedetected.

2. In a side slipping weft detector, a fixed support, a lever pivoted tothe support capable of pivotal movement in two directions, meanscooperating with the lever to be engaged by the latter to effect achange in loom operation when the lever moves in one direction, adetector finger pivoted to the lever and movable forwardly by asuflicient supply of weft to rock the lever in a direction away fromsaid means, said detector finger slidable along an insufficient supplyof weft to rock the lever into cooperative relation with the means, anda lock to engage the detector finger and operative when the lever is inrear position to prevent the detector finger from sliding along the weftsurface, an initial forward movement of the detector finger beingrequired to unlock detector finger from said lock and render thedetector finger capable of moving along the weft surface.

3. In an electric side slipping weft detector, a fixed support, a leverpivoted to the support, an electric contact positioned for engagementwith the lever, movement of the lever in one direction pivotallyeffecting engagement with the contact and movement of the lever in theopposite direction pivotally moving the lever away from the contact, adetector finger pivoted to the lever and capable of moving forwardlywhen engaging sufiicient weft to cause rocking of the lever away fromthe contact and capable when sliding along an insufficient supply ofweft to rock the lever into engagement with the contact, and meansincluding a part carried by the detector finger to prevent movement ofthe lever in either direction when the detector finger is in normaldetecting position and requiring an initial forward movement of thedetector before the latter is cap-able of sliding along an insufficientsupply of weft to effect engagement between the lever and contact.

4. In an electric side slipping weft detector, a fixed support, a leverpivoted to the support, an electric contact positioned for engagementwith the lever, pivotal movement of the lever in one direction effectingengagement with the contact and pivotal movement of the lever in theopposite direction moving said lever away from the contact, a detectorfinger pivoted to the lever and capable ofmoving forwardly when engagingsufficient weft to cause rocking of the lever away from the contact andcapable when sliding along an insufiicient supply of weft to rock thelever into engagement with the contact, means defining a notch in thedetector finger having shoulders on opposite sides of the notch, and astop carried by the support to enter the notch, said stop effective toprevent movement of the detector finger in a direction to causeengagement between the lever and the contact when the detector finger isin normal detecting position, the shoulders being proportioned torequire an initial forward movement of the detector finger before thelatter is capable of slipping along an insufficient supply of weft.

5. In an electric side slipping weft detector, a

fixed support, a lever pivoted to the support, an

electric contact positioned for engagement with the lever, pivotalmovement of the lever in one direction effecting engagement with thecontact and pivotal movement of the lever in the opposite directionmoving said lever away from the contact, a detector finger pivoted tothe lever and capable of moving forwardly when engaging sufficient weftto cause rocking of the lever away from the contact and capable whensliding along an insufiicient supply of weft to rock the lever intoengagement with the contact, stop means carried by the support, and ashoulder formed on the detector finger forming with a part of the lattera notch to receive the stop means, said stop means and shouldereffective to prevent movement of the detector finger along aninsufiicient supply of weft until after said finger has had an initialmovement forwardly from its normal rear position.

6. In an electric side slipping weft detector, a fixed support, a leverpivoted to the support, an electric contact positioned for engagementwith the lever, pivotal movement of the lever in one direction efiectingengagement with the contact and pivotal movement of the lever in theopposite direction moving said lever away from the contact, a detectorfinger pivoted to the lever and capable of moving forwardly whenengaging sufficient weft to cause rocking of the lever away from thecontact and capable when sliding along an insufiicient supply of weft torock the lever into engagement with the contact, a stop element, and ashoulder element, one of said elements carried by the detector fingerand the other element carried by the support, said elements normallyrelated to prevent movement of the detector finger along an insufficientsupply of weft when the detector is in normal rear detecting position,said elements being so proportioned as to require an initial forwardmovement of the detector finger from normal rear position before saiddetector finger is capable of sliding along an insufiicient supply ofWeft.

'7. In an electric side slipping weft detector, a fixed support, a leverpivoted to the support, an electric contact positioned for engagementwith the lever, pivotal movement of the lever in one direction effectingengagement with the contact and pivotal movement of the lever in theopposite direction pivotally moving said lever away from the contact, adetector finger pivoted to the lever and capable of moving forwardlywhen engaging sufiicient weft to cause rocking of the lever away fromthe contact and capable when sliding along an insufiicient supply ofweft to rock the lever into engagement with the contact, and cooperatinglock elements carried partly by the support and partly by the detectorfinger and effective when the detector finger is in normal rear positionto prevent movement of the lever by a force tending to move said leverinto engagement with the contact, the elements being moved tonon-cooperative position by an initial forward movement of the detectorfinger to render the latter capable of movement along an insufficientsupply of weft to effect engagement between the lever and the contact.

8. In an electric side slipping weft detector, a fixed support, a leverpivoted to said support, an electric contact carried by the support forengagement with the lever, a detector finger having a cam surface and arearwardly extending arm, the detector finger when moving forwardly inengagement with a sufficient supply of weft causing the lever to movepivotally away from the contact and said detector finger when slidingalong an insufiicient supply of weft causing the lever to move pivotallyin the opposite direction into engagement with the contact, a springinterposed between the lever and detector finger, a stop carried by thesupport along which the cam face of the detector is adapted to slideunder action of said spring, and means carried by the detector fingerdefining a notch to receive the stop, said notch being located at oneend of the cam face and adjacent the aforesaid arm and capable ofpreventing movement of the lever toward the contact until after thedetector finger has had an initial movement forwardly from its normalrear position.

9. In a weft detector for looms, a carrier lever movable in a givendirection to effect indication of weft exhaustion, a pivot for thelever, a detector finger pivoted to the lever and having an operatingsurface eccentric relatively to the pivot of the lever, a stop tocooperate with the surface, said stop and finger so formed as tocooperate to hold said finger locked against improper indicatingmovement when said finger is in normal detecting position, and a singlespring operatively related to the lever and finger to cause cooperationbetween the stop and surface and being thereby effective (1) to move thelever in a direction opposite said given direction, (2) restore thefinger to normal detecting position after a detecting movement, and (3)establish yielding cooperation between the stop and finger to hold thelatter yieldingly locked when said finger is in normal detectingposition.

10. In a weft detector for a loom having a weft element to be detected,a stand, a detector carrier,

a pivotal connection between the carrier and stand, a weft detectorpivotally, connected to and supported by the carrier and having alateral movement to rock the carrier about its pivotal connection onindicating beats of the loom, a resilient connection between the carrierand detector, a stop to coact with the detector to lock thelatter whenin normal non-detecting position, said detector having a surfaceeccentric with respect to said pivotal connection, the stop and detectorbeing disengaged by forward motion of the detector due to motion of theWeft element to unlock the latter, and the resilient connectioneifective to move said surface against the stop, said surface and stopcoacting together with the resilient connection to move the detectorback to normal position and also reestablish locking relation betweenthe stop and detector after an indicating movement of the detector.

OSCAR V. PAYNE.

